Töregene Khatun facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Töregene Khatun |
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A coin probably struck in Caucasia during the reign of Töregene Khatun
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| Regent of Mongol Empire | |||||
| Regency | 1242–1246 | ||||
| Predecessor | Ögedei | ||||
| Successor | Güyük | ||||
| Khatun of Mongols | |||||
| Tenure | 1241–1246 | ||||
| Predecessor | Möge Khatun | ||||
| Successor | Oghul Qaimish | ||||
| Died | 1246 | ||||
| Spouse | Dayir Usun Ögedei |
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| Issue | Güyük Godan Khan |
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| House | Naiman by birth Borjigin by marriage |
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Töregene Khatun (also known as Turakina) was a powerful leader of the Mongol Empire. She served as the Great Khatun and regent (a ruler who governs until the true ruler is old enough or able to) of the Mongol Empire. This was after her husband, Ögedei Khan, died in 1241. She ruled until her oldest son, Güyük Khan, was chosen as the next Great Khan in 1246.
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Early Life and Family
Töregene was born into the Naiman tribe. Her first husband was from the Merkit clan. Some historical records say his name was Qudu. However, another historian, Rashid-al-Din Hamadani, named her first husband as Dayir Usun.
In 1204, Genghis Khan conquered the Merkits. He then gave Töregene to his son Ögedei to be his second wife. Ögedei's first wife, Boraqchin, did not have any sons. But Töregene gave birth to five sons: Güyük, Kötän, Köchü, Qarachar, and Qashi.
Töregene became very important among Ögedei's wives. She slowly gained more influence with the officials at the Mongol court. However, Töregene did not agree with some of Ögedei's officials or his ideas about how to run the government. She also supported the reprinting of important Taoist books in North China. With Töregene's help, Ögedei appointed Abd-ur-Rahman to collect taxes in China.
Becoming Great Khatun
After Ögedei died in 1241, power first went to Möge Khatun, another of Ögedei's wives. But with the support of Chagatai and her own sons, Töregene took full control as regent in the spring of 1242. She became the Great Khatun.
Töregene removed her late husband's ministers and replaced them with her own trusted people. The most important of these was another woman named Fatima. Fatima was a captive from Iran who had been brought to Mongolia.
Töregene tried to arrest some of Ögedei's main officials. His chief secretary, Chinqai, and the administrator, Mahmud Yalavach, escaped to her son Koden in North China. Another administrator, Masud Begh, fled to Batu Khan. In Iran, Töregene ordered Korguz to be arrested. He was then executed by Qara Hülëgü. Töregene appointed Arghun Aqa as the new governor in Persia.
She put Abd-ur-Rahman in charge of the government in North China. Fatima also became very powerful at the Mongol court. These changes led to many Mongol nobles demanding more money from the people.
Mongol Military Actions Under Töregene
Töregene had good relationships with Ögedei's military commanders in China. There were fights between the Mongols and the Song troops in the Chengdu area. Töregene sent people to talk about peace, but the Song Dynasty leaders imprisoned them. The Mongols then captured Hangzhou and invaded Sichuan in 1242.
Töregene ordered her generals, Zhang Rou and Chagaan, to attack the Song Dynasty. After they raided Song territory, the Song court sent a group to ask for a ceasefire. Chagaan and Zhang Rou returned north after the Mongols agreed to the terms.
During Ögedei's rule, the Seljuks of Rum had offered friendship and a small payment to the Mongols. However, under their new Sultan, Kaykhusraw II, the Mongols began to pressure him to visit Mongolia in person and accept a Mongol official. Mongol raids started in 1240.
Sultan Kaykhusraw gathered a large army to fight them. Other rulers, like the king of Cilician Armenia and the Greek Emperor of Nicaea, also sent soldiers. The Grand Komnenos of Trebizond and an Ayyubid prince from Aleppo also contributed troops. However, Baiju and his Georgian helpers defeated them at the battle of Köse Dağ in 1243. After this battle, the Sultanate of Rum, the Empire of Trebizond, and Lesser Armenia all declared their loyalty to the Mongol Empire, which was then ruled by Töregene Khatun.
Mongol troops under General Baiju also explored the lands of the Abbasid in Iraq and the Ayubid in Syria between 1244 and 1246.
Choosing the Next Great Khan
Töregene showed great power in a society that was usually led only by men. She managed to balance the different powerful groups within the empire. She also helped set the stage for her son Güyük to become the Great Khan.
During Töregene's rule, important visitors came from far parts of the empire to her capital at Karakorum. The Seljuk sultan came from Turkey. Representatives from the Caliph in Baghdad also visited. Two princes who both wanted to be king of Georgia also came. The highest-ranking European visitor was Grand Prince Yaroslav Vsevolodovich of Vladimir and Suzdal.
Ögedei Khan's favorite son was Kochu, who was from another wife. Ögedei had wanted Kochu's son, Siremun, to be the next ruler after Kochu died in 1237. But Töregene wanted her own son, Güyük, to be the next Great Khan. She used her cleverness to achieve this.
When the lesser khans (local rulers) appointed her as regent after her husband's death, she gave important jobs to people she trusted. She then began a plan to help her son Güyük rise to power. When Temüge Otchigen, Genghis Khan's youngest brother, tried to take the throne, Güyük quickly stopped him. Töregene made sure that a Kurultai (a great assembly of Mongol chiefs) was not held until she was sure that most leaders would support her son Güyük.
Töregene successfully passed power to her son Güyük in 1246. She then moved to Ögedei's lands near the Emil.
However, the relationship between Töregene and her son Güyük eventually broke down. Güyük's brother Koden accused Fatima of using witchcraft to harm his health. When Koden died a few months later, Güyük demanded that his mother hand Fatima over for punishment. Güyük's men seized Fatima and put her to death. Töregene's supporters in the imperial household were also removed from their positions. Within 18 months of Fatima's death, Töregene herself died. She was later given the name Empress Zhaoci by Kublai Khan in 1265-1266.
In Popular Culture
- Töregene Khatun was played by Cai Wenyan in the TV show The Legend of Kublai Khan (2013).
